Regulator for fluid-flow.



O. N. MOORE.

REGULATOR FOR FLUID FLOW. APPLICATION FILED FEB-3,1916- Patented May 28,1918.

Arrow A, nssreno REGULATOR. non rnurn-rncw.

Specification of IIettersPatent: t t May 23, 1 1

Application filed February 3, ,1916. Serial No. 76,055.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, Orro N. Moore, a'citizen of the United States, residing .at Indian 'apolis, in the county cit Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Regulator for Fluid-Flow, of which the following-is a specification.

My lnventlon is particularly applicable 2 and is primarily designed for use in connection with airlift "pumps,,to maintain sub stantially constant the inflow of air into the pump and minimize or' wholly prevent slugging; but it is applicable in its broader aspects for other uses where it is desirable to maintain a constant flow of fluid. i

In airlift pumps, the injection of air in the pump produces a mixture of air and water which is lighter than the water itself, so thatthe water rises through, the eduction pipe and is discharged therefrom." In this action there is developed a certain insta-n bility, which produces a more or less rhythmic rise and fall of the water in the well casing and in consequence a more orless rhythmic variation in the resistance offered to the injection of the air; and this results in a. vane which is moved Fig. 2.

variations in the injection of the air into the water at'the airlift pump, and these variations, at least in large part, produce the obiectionable slugging j It is the object of my present invention to maintain the flow of fluid substantially constant, especially air for an airlift pump. I do this by providing a valve which controls the flow of flliid, and operate such valve by u on cha esin the velocit of the stream 0 fluid. %rovisio1 1 is ma e for obtaining any desired valve opening for a definite fluid velocity, and if desired for retarding the motion of the vane and valve, though my device does not require such retardin device, and in many cases is moredesira le without it.

The accompanying drawing illustrates my invention. igure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a well equipped with an airlift pump having its flow of air controlled by my invention; Fi 2 is a sectional view of the airflow contro er, showingthe interrelation of its parts; and Fig. 31s a fragments, internal development of the device, I ein taken asa section on the curved lineM 0% ed between the I Within the well casing 10 is located the eduction pipe 11, having within it near its lower end a suitable air nozzle 12 at the proper submergence. This air nozzle 12 is shown as a simple open ended pipe, but it may takeany of the forms which have been developed for such nozzles, my invention being independent of the character of the 'air lift pump. The air nozzle 12 is supplied by a Sllltilblfi. air supply pipe 13, shown as projecting downward into the well casing 10 outside the eduction pipe 11, though such location is not necessary, and the pipe 13 is supplied with air from any suitable source through my fluid-flow regulator 14,. whichis conveniently located at the top of the well so as to be as near the nozzle 12 as possible and th the line between such nozzle.

My fluid-flow regulator in its preferred form has a cylindrical casing 20 having a removable cover 21 in which may be a window 22 to permit the operation of the device to be observed. The casing 20 has a fixed central'pivot pin 23 0n which is pivoted a moving member 24 having two arms 25 and 26. At the outer .end of the arm 25 is mounted anarc-shaped valve plate 27, which as the member 24 is moved covers and uncovers to a greater or less extent a slot 28 in the. cylindrical side Wall of the casing 20, which slot opens through the air outlet fitting 29 into the pipe, 13, whiclris connected thereto. The slot 28 is preferably parallelsided, as is clear from Fig. 3, so that it varies in size uniformly for definite movements of the valve fplate 27. The arc-shaped valve plate 27 pre erably has a slight clearance from the inner side wall of the casing *20, both to facilitate its movement and to allow a slight leakage around it to the slot us minimize the storage capacity of regulator and such- 28 at all times. lhe arm 26'of the movable member 24 carries a vane 30 which cooperates with the open end of an 31 adjustably fastened by a screw 32in the discharge end of an air-inflow opening 33 which is connected by the pipe 34 tozthe source of air supply. "The inrushing air from the inflow nozzle 31 strikes the vane 30 and tends to move it and the entire member 24.130 a greater or less/degree in a clockwise direction. An adjustable spring 35 connectarm 25 and an adjusting inflow nozzle counterclockwise direction against the action of the inrushing air stream on the vane 30. Thus the position of the movable mem bet 2& and therefore of the valve plate 2? is always that which produces an equilibrium between the spring 35 and action of the inrushing air stream on the vane 30.

lhereiore, the flow of air through the slot 28 and into the air supply pipe 13 is controlled by the velocity 30. When by reason of the of the air discharged against the vane rhythmic variation in the water head at the air pump nozzle 12 the resistance to the dis charge of air from such air pump nozzle 12 rises, the velocity of the air discharge is decreased both at the air pump nozzle 12 and at the inflow nozzle" 31, thereby diminishing theiorc-e of the air stream on the vane 30 and permitting the spring to predominate, thereby causing the member 2a to move in a counterclockwise direction to cause the valve plate 27 to uncover more of the slot 28.- so as to increase the volume of air supplied to the pipe 13 and thereby to the air pump nozzle 12 and counteract by such additional supply of air the increased resistance offered to the discharge of air from such air pump nozzle 12. When by reason of such rhythmic variation in the water head at the air pump nozzle 12 the resistance to the discharge of air from such air pump nozzle 12 falls, the velocity of the air discharge is increased both at the air pump nozzle l2,and at the inflow nozzle 31, thereby increasing the force of the air stream on the vane 80 so that it predominates over the spring 85, thereby causing the member 24 to move in a clockwise direction to cause the valve plate 27 to cover more of the slot 28, so as to decrease the volume of air supplied to the pipe 13 and thereby to the air pump nozzle 12 and counteract by such additional supply or air the diminished resistance offered to the discharge of air from such air pump nozzle12. As a result of this, the member 24 vibrates synchronously with the rhythmic changes in the water head in the well, and maintains a substantially constant fiow oi air from the air pump nozzle 12, thus diminishing and in many cases totally preventing the objectionable slugging, so as to produce a. eduction pipe ll, and also largely reducing the rhythmlc variations in water head which tend to produce such slugging. e

in some cases it is desirable, though in many cases it is not desirable, to diminish the vibrations of the movable member 24. "When this is desired, 1 provide a dash pot 40, connected between the wall of the casing 20 and such member 2%. lhis dash pot is shown in Fig. 2 as having its cylinder pivotally mounted by a pivot pin it on the plate 27 cooperates.

' turning the knurled uniform discharge from the uacaevv wall of the casing 20 and its piston rod pivotally mounted by a pivot pin 42 on the arm 26.

ll manually adjustable arc-shaped plate 45 is slidably mounted against the inner wall of the casing 20 on the opposite side oi the slot 28 from that with which the valve The plate as works behind a guide pin d6,- and is held in place by a transverse bard? carried by a pin projecting through the wall of the casing 20, and is provided with rack, teeth d8 which cooperate with a pinion 49 carried by the inner end or" a shaft 50 mounted in the wall of the casing 20 and provided at it outer end with a knurled head 51 for operating it. o By head 51, the plate 45 is slid circum'ferentially so as to cover more or less of the slot 28 at the opposite end of such slot from that with which the valve plate 2'? cooperates. This permits the efiect or a given movement of the movable, memher 2% to be varied.

The operation of the adjusted by the screw 36 and by shifting the inner end of the spring 35 to dificrent ones of the holes 55 in the arm 25. lt may be adjusted still further by loosening the screw 32 and sliding the inflow nozzle 31 longitudinally of the position of the valve 27 for a given opening between the vane the nozzle 31. A further adjustment may be provided by varying the size of, the mfiow nozzle 31, as by inserting within it a the desired size;

supplemental tube 56 of this varies the velocity ofthe air stream against the vane 30, and thereby varies the action of the device.

I claim as my invention:

1. A. regulator for fluid a chamber having a to and a fluid discharge line therefrom, two valve members controlling the entrance to said fluid discharge her, one of said valve members being manually operated, and a vane controlled by the flow, comprising velocity of fluid discharge from the fluid supply line into said chamber for operating the other valve member, said two valve the entrance to members being movable over said fluid discharge line from opposite sides thereoi.

2. A regulator for fluid flow, comprising a chamber having a fluid supply line thereto and a iiuid discharge line therefrom, two

valve members controlling the entrance to said fluid discharge line from said chamber, one of said valve members being manually operated, and a vane controlled by the velocity of fluid discharge from the fluid supply line into said chamber for operating the other valve member.

3. A regulator for fluid tlow, comprising a chamber a fluid supply line thereto the tube 33 so as to vary fluid supply line isluare v line from said cham- 30 and the end of and a fluid meme? said fluid discharge line from said chamber,

valve members being operated, and aivane controlled by the velocity of fluid discharge from the fluid supply line into said chamber for operating the other valve member, said two valve members ing movable overv the entrance to said fluid discharge line from opposite sides thereof, said vane-operated valve member being spring-pressed toward open position and being movable by said vane toward closed positlon.

4- A regulator for manually fluid flow, comprising a chamber having a fluid supply line thereto and a fiuid'discharge line therefrom, two valve members controlling the entrance to said flu1d d1scharge line from said chamber,

members being manually no operated, and a vane controlled by the velocity of fluid discharge from the fluid supply line into said other valve member, said vane-operated valve member being spring-pressed toward open position and being movable by said vane toward closed positlon.

witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand atlndianapolis, Indiana, this first day of February, A. I); one thousand nine hunan SIXtee dred and n.

' OTTO N. MOORE. 

